2012 Presidential Election (Reset 1)
The 2012 United States Presidential Election was the 57th quadrennial presidential election. It occured on November 6th 2012. Democratic nominee Joseph T. Leeds of Ohio and his running mate Josh Jahnson of Washington defeated Republican nominee Speaker Kim Hoynes of New Hampshire and her running mate David Blaine of Florida. Nominations Democratic After President Obama decided not to seek a second termthe field was wide open. Adam Buchanan (D-MI) was the first to enter the race but quickly dropped out due to personal reasons. Joseph Leeds (D-OH) and Emily Clarke (D-SC) entered the race next, but shortly before the Iowa Caucuses, Clarke dropped out failing to gain enough momentum. From Iowa, Leeds went unchallenged and easily clinched the Democratic Nomination. Republican The Republican primary field consisted of three main candidates: Kim Hoynes (R-NH), Henry Jacobsen (R-SD), and Anthony Rifenburg (R-CA). Rifenburg began with an early lead, having more conservative stances that appealed to the GOP base as opposed to the more moderate views of Hoynes. Hoynes began to close the gap in time for Iowa but Rifenburg ended up winning by nine percentage points. In Hoynes' native New Hampshire she barely pulled off a victory, winning by half a percent over Rifenburg. After New Hampshire, Rifenburg won Florida, Maine, Nevada, Minnesota, Colorado, and Missouri. Following the results Jacobsen withdrew from the race and endorsed Hoynes. Hoynes won in both Arizona and Michigan two states predicted to go to Rifenburg easily. Super Tuesday brough mixed results, both candidates won several states. Following Super Tuesday the race was very tight and each candidates won enough states to stay in contention for the nomination. On June 5th, 2012 Kim Hoynes clinched the Republican Nomination with a win in California. Running Mate Selections Following the conclusion of the dramatic Republican Primary, the focus of the media was on running mate selections. Leeds announced first in a rally in Miami introducing Representative Josh Jahnson of Washington as his running mate. The choice was considered unconventional as Jahnson wasn't from a traditional swing state. Jahnson, a self-described liberal, was seen by many analysts as a way for the moderate Leeds to shore up his support among the Democratic base. Soon after Leeds' announcement former Lt. General David Blaine was selected as Hoynes' running mate on an interview with John Trawely. Blaine was heavily criticized for his performance during the interview, as he appeared visibly bored and even pulled his phone at one point. Many pundits said he did not appear "Presidential" and even questioned the choice. Conventions The Republican National Convention took place in Denver, Colorado. Full Convention Speeches Notable Speakers Day One RNC Chair Parker Ward (R-LA), Rep. Debra King (R-CO), Rep. Sam West (R-OH), Fmr. Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK), Day Two Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ), Rep. Adam Lawrence (R-NV), Fmr. Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), HML Carson Luke (R-UT) KEYNOTE ADDRESS Day Three Colin Powell (R-NY), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Rep. Richard Williams (R-SC), David Blaine (R-FL) VP ACCEPTANCE Day Four Rep. Henry Jacobsen (R-SD), Gov. Susana Martinez (R-NM), Amos Goodwin (R-TN), Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Fmr. Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA), Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC), Speaker Kim Hoynes (R-NH) ACCEPTANCE The Democratic Convention took place in Norfolk, Virginia. Full Convention Speeches Notable Speakers Day One Gov. Jerry Brown (D-CA), Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Fmr. President Bill Clinton (D-AR), DNC Chair Emily Clarke (D-SC), Day Two Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Lilly Ledbetter, Michelle Obama, Rep. Lauren Power (D-ME) KEYNOTE Day Three Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Fmr. Gov. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Paula Leeds, HmL Michael Brenninger (D-NM), Rep. Josh Jahnson (D-WA) VP ACCEPTANCE Day Four Fmr. Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D-MI), Mayor Julian Castro (D-TX), Lt. Liam Moss, President Barack Obama (D-IL), Rep. Joseph Leeds ACCEPTANCE General Election Post convention polls showed Hoynes with a large lead over Leeds in almost every swing state and even in non-traditional swing states like Washington and California. It appeared as though Hoynes was going to cruise to any easy victory. Then, Hoynes then disappeared from the campaign trail for two weeks. Additionally David Blaine had never campaigned from the start. This gave the Leeds campaign the opportunity to define the moderate if not liberal Hoynes as a reincarnation of George W. Bush. The strategy paid off and the race tightened. Once Hoynes reappeared on the trail the race was up for grabs. There was one Presidential debate in which Leeds was seen as the winner. In the days leading up to election night California became the focus of both campaigns. It was the common opinion that whomever won California would go to the White House. In the end, however, Hoynes won California and did not win the White House due to a loss by 20,000 votes in Ohio, which tightened when a Joseph Leeds accounting scandal broke on election night. Election Results Full Election Night Coverage Key Swing States: New Hampshire (4) - Hoynes California - (55) - Hoynes North Carolina (15) - Hoynes Pennsylvania (20) - Leeds Ohio (18) - Leeds Virginia (13) - Leeds Colorado (9) - Leeds New Mexico (5) - Leeds Nevada (5) - Leeds Total: Joseph Leeds 273 Kim Hoynes 265